Similar recipe and strength to Black Butte XX (2008), "enhanced by adding some Theo's Chocolate cocoa nibs from Seattle, dry-hopping it with 100 pounds of Bellatazza's locally roasted coffee, and then aging a portion of it in Stranahan's Colorado whiskey barrels."

Reviews by Floydster:

22 ounce black wax bottle purchased from Beverage Warehouse for around twelve dollars, poured into my Chimay goblet, color is almost completely black with some light at the top shining through, one inch soapy light brown head, some retention with lacing at the top of the glass, aroma consists of oak, very faint bourbon, coffee grounds, leather, smoky malts, brown sugar, roastiness, and dark cocoa, flavor starts off with roasted malts and dark chocolate battling out, more malt in the middle with a little whiskey twist, roasted in the finish with strong oak in the finish, dark chocolate lingers with a bit of dryness, warms up with a little sweeter malt but stays pretty dry and roasty throughout, oaky, roasty, dry, and slightly mouthfeel, carbonation was pretty strong, medium body, expected it to be fuller, taste lingers, smooth and not too full or heavy, alcohol is detectable but it is still young in the bottle, did not have much trouble getting through nine or ten ounces, I was excited to try this after enjoying the XX more recently than I did the first time when it was fresh, similar to that experience, I think I will enjoy this one more later on with some age under its belt, look forward to drinking again, recommended (1,238 characters)

The aroma is very roasty with some strong coffee and chocolate notes. The bourbon aging is evident with some subtle oak and bourbon smells but it isn't overpowering which I'm attributing to only having 20% of the beer aged in bourbon barrels. I'm actually enjoying how subtle the barrel aging is on this beer. It lets the porter character show itself without being overrun by overpowering bourbon flavors.

The taste mirrors a lot of the nose with a strong but not overdone roasted coffee flavors. The bourbon influence is present but restrained and my comments above about the barrel aging are the same I feel about the flavor. The taste is less exciting than the nose though with really only coffee and subtle oak aging notes. A good taste but neither complex or mind-blowing.

The mouthfeel is on the thin side and the alcohol can be felt. Drinkability was decent but I can see some more aging improving this beer. (1,045 characters)

22 oz bottle, best after 10/17/10 (oh well!). Pours a dark brown with a creamy tan head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is sweet roasted chocolate, tar, black licorice, and coffee. A little too heavy on the black licorice and tar for me.

The flavor is sweet sugary lactic chocolate balanced by a big tarry roasted bitterness and black licorice with a little coffee. The finish has a good deal of bitterness. As it warms, the sweetness comes out and becomes a bit overwhelming. Also notes of bourbony dark fruits appear as well. It's very bold but not at all smooth - a bit too brash for me. The mouthfeel is fairly full with creamy carbonation.

Overall, it's a bit too harsh especially with the black licorice and tar and then the heavy sweetness. It would be interesting to try again after the best after date to see if it mellows out. (856 characters)

For being over five years old, the appearance holds up pretty well, with a short khaki-brown head disappearing to fine lace quickly. In the glass, it's an oily black hole which no light can penetrate.

Soft, but complex nose of medium roast coffee, 50% semi-sweet chocolate, and dark, dried fruit like raisins set against a faint trace of wood and whiskey. Rich, dark caramels as it warms.

The taste is where the aging really pays off. The ABV is very mellow, hiding in the background of the taste. The malts are definitely roasted, but not at all bitter. Hints of dark, bitter chocolate contrast with an almost-burnt caramel sweetness that finds traces of a whiskey shot in the finish. This could be cold Irish coffee.

Definitely a sipping beer. The structure is so thoroughly blended and softened, it might be a tad long in the tooth, but it's still a very delicious approach to a specialty porter. (909 characters)

Beer pours black wiht a tan head. The aroma is chocolate and roasted malt. For some reason, I also got a cayenne pepper aroma, even though no one else in the group was getting it. The flavor is chocolate, roasted malt and the same cayenne pepper I was getting in the aroma. There is also some some hop bitterness. Medium mouthfeel.

Not sure what the cause of the cayenne was since it looks like others are not getting it. Maybe my palate and nose were playing tricks on me but it was predominant in both the flavor and aroma, and it actually went very well with the other flavors of the beer. (633 characters)

Taste: Molasses, caramel, and heavily roasted malt core with nice layers of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and an overall oakiness. The chocolate becomes much more apparent as it warms. Fantastic complexity.

Yes, yes, I know it says not to drink this for another year, but that's why I bought more than one. Pours jet black with a thick, foamy brown head that stays there. Fat lacing on the glass that doesn't wash out with each swig. Heavy molasses, dark chocolate, roasted malt, and whiskey-oak nose. Expected vanilla and toffee compliments with the barrelling. Viscous moithfeel, hearty, and a long, bitter finish. Beautiful chocolate and molasses taste. Some chocolate-chip cookie malt flavor with the bold bourdon backing. Very happy there was none of that espresso/black coffee component as it would have overpowered the subtle simplicty of this beer. Sometimes less is more. Can't wait to hit this again in a year. (713 characters)

Still sitting on 5 bottles of xx but from my memory this pours a shade lighter with some burgundy color in it. I initially served mine a tad too cold but as it warmed up the head retained much better. It smells like when i used to work in a coffee shop my freshman year of college and we roasted our own beans every sunday. Heavy espresso tones and some chocolate in the taste, very slight bourbon taste as well. Very smooth not as much as abyss but different beers. Very drinkable presuming you enjoy coffee despite its abv (524 characters)

Poured from a bomber courtesy of Dyan in a recent trade, thanks! Managed to get ahold of a couple other bottles as well, so I thought I'd try one fresh before aging the others.

Appearance- Pours the usual deep, opaque black I'm used to for the style. About of half finger of brown head that dies fairly quickly to a thin layer over the surface of the beer. Lots of lacing as I drink as well.

Smell- Mmm, lots of burnt coffee and roasted malt. A touch of bitter chocolate and vanilla as well. Each smell comes out pretty prominently for me into a nice nose.

Taste- Lots of roasted malt with less burnt coffee than in the nose, but still present. Vanilla and bourbon even stronger in the taste, though the chocolate is less present. Some alcohol burn on the way down. All the flavors are excellent, and I expect they would meld and round out even better with some aging. Will have to do another review in a year or so.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Mouthfeel a bit disappointingly thin, but still somewhat chewy. However, it doesn't kill the drinkability, which remains quite good for a heavy beer. I expect the mouthfeel might round out with more time as well.

Overall, quite tasty fresh, and I image will be much better with some age. Get ahold of some of these if you can, they're quite a treat! (1,295 characters)

I had the pleasure of being out again in the PDX area recently and had sooo many great beers. One of the ones that stood out was BB XXI. Honestly, I wasn't totally sure what to expect from this new BB special brew. I had the BB XX last year and loved it, but for some reason I just didn't expect as much from this year's special BB release. Thankfully, I found the BB XXI to be a wonderful brew. It has an inviting aroma of boozy, slight vanilla-y/caramelly malts. The aroma is good, but it's not like it's the best thing I've ever smelled in a beer. The taste, however, is really good. For those that don't like too much chocolate, coffee, or barrel-aged character in their brew, than this is for you. I'm usually not a fan of in-your-face barrel/oak/bourbon/etc brews. Thankfully, the barrel character in this brew is very subtle. This taste of this beer is amazing in its balance. I get a bit of the boozy/barrel-character up front, followed quickly by some authentic chocolate, and just a touch of coffee. Honestly, the palate seems kind of thin for a brew of its strength. This is very good right now, but I think it's still way too young at this point. I bet it will be phenomenal in a year or more. Heck, don't take my word for it. The bottles say best *after* 10/17/2010. By then I imagine the booziness will have died down, there will be a better integration of all the flavors, and there will probably be a richer/drier chocolate character. Argh...I wish I had a beer cellar where I could age a case of BBXXI for the next year along with some Abyss 09. (1,562 characters)

Pours black with a one-finger light brown head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of moderately roasted malts with large amounts of dark chocolate, vanilla, and hints of coconut.

Tastes similar to how it smells, though not as robust. Smooth roasted malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by moderate amounts of dark and lighter chocolate flavors. Slight amounts of vanilla come into play midway through the sip, fading out into a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have a few more.

Overall I was expecting more than I got from this beer, but to be fair I was expecting a lot. A bit more body would go a long way. Still, a very good beer that's well worth a shot. (887 characters)

I wanted another bottle of XX but I settled for this. Once open, I realize that nothing about this bottle is settling.

This poured to a dark, near black color with hints of mahogany and minimal head. Lace is next to nothing. It looks decent, but the awesome comes with the taste and smell.

Light enough in body to stay drinkable, the cocoa and coffee oozes from this beer in large quantity. The finish brings vanilla that grows more significant as the finish lingers. Barely enough residual sugar to remind me of dark fruits, while a blended boozy hot serves to remind one of the content without getting in the way.